Ranger, Reimagined
by GeekGirl24601
Summary: This is my ideal (Babe) ending for the Stephanie Plum series. I've read all the way up to book 23, so this is picking up from there. Obviously, all characters and such are owned by Janet Evanovich; I'm just taking them on a joy ride. It's written from Ranger's perspective as he deals with Stephanie's recent engagement to Morelli and his acknowledgement of his feelings and desires.
1. Chapter 1: He Finds Out

Another boring day in the office. I never miss my days in the Special Forces, but some days I really miss doing apprehension work. I especially miss doing them with Stephanie Plum. She still asks me to help her with her more violent fugitives, but I don't get to spend nearly as much time with her as I used to.

Stop thinking about her so much, I scold myself. You have a job to do. But no matter how hard I try to focus, I don't see the bills and request forms piled in front of me. I see wild, dark hair, that creamy skin she has to work so hard to make only slightly darker, and those innocent, yet still battle-scarred eyes.

I remember the first time I met her. Vinnie had me train her to be a bounty hunter, with moderate success. She pulled Morelli in, at least, in more ways than one.

Morelli. I had some respect for the man, mostly because between our similar job descriptions and our taste in women, or one woman in particular, forced our paths to cross at frequent intervals. Still, that didn't mean that I had friendly feelings toward him.

Get back to work, Manoso.

You can't. Because you finally realized what's been obvious to everyone else basically from the beginning.

You love her.

No, I can't let myself admit that, even to myself. Because…

Because her wedding is in two weeks. Her wedding to Joseph Morelli. I never thought he'd actually go through with it, any of it. The proposal, the engagement, the planning, the wedding. I always thought he was using her. Yes, I could always tell that he cared for her. Cared for her deeply. But he and I are the same in many ways. Neither of us are willing to commit. But over the years, I guess she wore him down. No man can say no to marrying a woman like Stephanie for so long.

No man except for me.

Stephanie's made it very clear that whatever we've let grow between us over the years needs to end, and I respect that. I really do. That doesn't make it any easier for me.

She called me the morning after he proposed to her. He'd done it in his bed, of course. She'd stayed the night, but he had to leave for work early that morning, and she didn't have a car with her.

"Hey," she greeted me over the phone

"Babe," I said back. I'm a man of few words. Not because I don't have anything to say, but because not everything needs to be said. Stephanie's learned to glean a lot of information from this one word.

"We need to talk. Can you come pick me up? I'm sort of stranded."

I glanced through my office door into the control room, where all of the company's trackers are displayed at all times. I saw the dot that signified Stephanie positioned directly over where I knew Morelli's house was. Of course, I didn't know about the proposal yet.

"I'm guessing your one night stand snatched you away and left you without a car then."

I could practically hear the frustration in her voice. "God damn it, Ranger. I told you to stop planting those trackers on me. And he's not a one night stand."

"It's for your own safety, Babe." She knew as well as I did that she'd be dead if it wasn't for my habit of putting trackers on her car, in her purse, and occasionally in her clothes as well.

I wasn't touching the one night stand thing.

Obviously reaching the same conclusion I had, she sighed. "Just come get me. It's important."

I could tell. I didn't even bother saying goodbye before I hung up. She'd know I was on my way.

When I pulled into Morelli's driveway, she was already waiting for me outside. She looked… different, somehow. She was purposely avoiding eye contact, and she seemed to be having trouble taking in a breath.

"Calm down, Babe. You're starting to make even me nervous," I soothed.

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just... ," she turned to look at me then. "Things have changed, Ranger."

"I'm afraid I'm not following you," I told her with a smirk on my face.

She looked back down at her lap and the hands she kept folded there, and I noticed something I hadn't noticed before.

The ring.

We both sat silently, me spending a few moments staring in shock at the ring, then at her face, my smirk from earlier completely erased from my featuresI watched as her cheeks became pink and then red, spreading from her nose outward until even her ears looked like they were burning. Neither of us knew what to say or how to break the silence.

Right as I opened my mouth to speak, she started babbling. Good thing, too, because I had no idea what I would have said if she hadn't.

"It happened last night. You know I've been trying to get him to propose for weeks, and I didn't think it was going to happen, I thought maybe you were right, that he really has been stringing me along for all these years, and I was so upset, but then he called me yesterday and-"

"Do you love him?" I interrupted her. I don't know why I did it. I already knew the answer.

"Yes," she said immediately. But I saw something in her eyes, heard something in her tone that made me ask the next question.

"But you love me, too?"

Again, I already knew the answer to this one. I knew she wouldn't waste her time with me if she didn't. She wouldn't share a bed with me if she didn't. But still, I needed to hear her say it. One more time.

"Ranger, I-" she said, her panicked expression begging me not to make her do this.

"No. Stop. Just answer the question," I pleaded

I could tell that it hurt her to admit it. But I didn't really care at that point, in that moment. In that moment, all I cared about was her next words.

"Ranger, of course I do. You know that. You always have."

I let out a sigh of relief. Once more, I don't know why I did. I'd made no secret of the fact that I wasn't ready for marriage. I had too much of my past haunting me. I'd seen too much, done too much. I didn't deserve to be happy. At least, not in the way being married to Stephanie would make me. Not yet.

I thought I had more time. I thought I would get lucky, that I could atone for my sins and get rid of the ghosts I live with every day. Then I could finally be happy.

Now I may never get that chance.

A/N: Hey everyone! I just finished reading Janet's Turbo Twenty-three and it drove me insane. I hate how Stephanie keeps flopping between these two men who both are completely devoted to her, and she doesn't really seem to care that much about either of them other than for sex and whatever lifestyle she thinks they can give her. Sooooo I'm writing the story the way I so badly want it to go. Obviously, I don't own any of the characters or the the original story, but I'm borrowing them and taking them on a little joy ride for a while. This is my first serious fanfiction that I've even gotten close to considering posting, so please go easy on me! I hope you enjoy, and I should be able to update this pretty regularly. I have an idea of where I want it to go, but I'm not sure how long it's going to take us to get there. We'll see, I guess! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2: He Cuts Her Loose

Chapter 2: He Cuts Her Loose

It's too late. I've finally come to terms with my attraction to Stephanie, and it's too late. I've always known we were attracted to each other physically. I never made much time for those kinds of pleasures before I met her. After what happened with Rachel, my ex-wife and mother of my only child, I just wasn't interested in that anymore. The fun and enjoyment was replaced with the consequences and guilt over what I'd done to the last woman I'd been with. But with Stephanie, I never worried about that. I'm in a much better position financially now than I was back then, and Stephanie is… Stephanie. There's no other words I can use to describe her. She makes me forget about my past, if only for a little while.

I can't count how many times I've thought about marrying her. Thought, mind you. I never really gave it serious consideration. I knew it wasn't in my cards. But guys are allowed to dream about these things, too.

I'm back in my room now, staring down at a little blue box in my hand. A box that holds a simple, plain gold ring with a single, small, emerald-cut diamond. Another box that's sitting on the desk beside me holds the matching wedding ring and a matching man's ring.

No, I didn't go out and buy these rings hoping to give one to Stephanie. I've had these rings since I was a teenager. My paternal grandparents left them to me when they both died within minutes of each other. They've been sitting in a safe-deposit box in a bank here in Trenton for over a decade, whether I was here with them or not. And no, these aren't the rings I used when I married Rachel, either. I knew before that marriage began that it was going to end. It was just to clean up my mess. I didn't want these rings soiled by that.

Frustrated and infuriated at myself, I pop the lid back down on the box and place both boxes in a locked drawer in my desk. Why did I even get them? What am I going to do with them now? Look at them? I certainly can't do what I want to do with them. The finger this ring belongs on is already occupied.

I don't know why I do or say most of what I do and say recently. I've been short and terse with my men, even Tank. I'm sure they all realize the cause of my new mood, but I don't care. None of them will dare to say anything about it to anyone.

It's been three days since Stephanie told me about her engagement. We didn't speak much after I made her say that she still loves me. I drove her to the bonds office, where I'm sure they didn't make the mistake I did and neglect to notice the giant stone on her finger. How did Morelli even afford that? Especially after buying that billiards table. Stephanie broke it off with him over that billiards table. I should have taken advantage of that and made her mine while I still had the chance. She was back together with him, everything forgiven, within a week. And now a month later, they're engaged.

It took every ounce of my will power not to walk her up to her apartment, into her room, and relieve her of her clothes. I could have done it. We both know I could have had her at any time during our relationship if I had pushed hard enough, but I seldom did. I respected her choices, even if I didn't agree with them. And I'm going to continue doing that now. That's why I kept my eyes on the road the entire way to her apartment, and I didn't lean over for one more kiss or follow her into her apartment that day. And that's why I haven't answered any of her text messages or phone calls in the last three days.

"Hey, Ranger. That was really weird, today. Can we just move on and never talk about it ever again? Thanks," Her first voicemail said.

"I'm sorry this is so sudden. I really didn't think it was going to happen, but it did, and now we all have to deal with it," she said the second time, a few hours later. "Oh my God, that sounded awful," she continued. "Please don't tell anyone I said it like that. You know what, let's just pretend this didn't happen."

"Ranger, I know this is weird, but I really need you to talk to me." She said the next morning. "You're not answering your phone or anything."

 _Are you ok?_ She texted after that.

 _Are you really gunna be that way? Stop talking to me because Joe finally proposed?_

 _What did you think was going to happen? That I'd just be happy with the occasional sleepover with Morelli and the even more rare night with you? I'm not that kind of girl, Ranger._

 _Oh my God, I sound insane. Please don't take any of that the wrong way. I'm just really emotional right now and I'm freaking out because you were so aloof with me yesterday and now you're not talking to me and and and… I just don't know what to say to fix this._

"Hey, Ranger," she said on voicemail again. "I really need you to answer your phone for me. Please."

There was a lapse of time where there were no texts or voicemails around dinnertime that night. I assumed she was having dinner with her family and telling them her good news.

 _Want to help me w a skip? Or maybe you need me to do more background checks in the office or help with one of your clients? I'm game._ She sent around the time her family usually finished dinner. I wish I didn't know what time that was.

 _Ok, I don't really need your help, and I'm sure if you needed help you'd have asked by now, but I'm trying here, ok? Just give me something to work with._

Yesterday morning, I get a call from Tank.

"Hey boss. Steph's outside the gate. You want us to let her in or…?"

I had the gate reprogrammed the day before so her key fob wouldn't work.

"No." _Click._

Then more messages started pouring in.

"Ranger, I'm outside your building at my key fob doesn't work. Can you have one of the guys buzz me in?"

 _Ranger, are you in? I'm outside._

 _Ranger, let me in._

 _Did you change the lock on me?_

 _Seriously?_

 _Ranger, come on._

 _Ricardo Manoso, let me inside or come out here and talk to me like an adult RIGHT NOW._

Tank texted me and told me she left, got in her car and sped off.

Ten minutes later, I got another voicemail.

"Ok, I'm pretty sure you're trying to cut me off right now, because I saw all of your cars down in the garage, and I'm sure the guys in the control room saw me outside, and they would have let me in unless they had expressed orders from you not to. I just want to let you know that this hurts me deeply and I didn't expect this of you."

"Ok, this is really out of character for me, I know that, but you're really freaking me out right now. We've been friends for YEARS, Ranger. More than friends, sometimes. Well, I guess that is the problem, isn't it? Crap. I'm messing this all up. You know what, just- never mind."

That was at 2:34pm yesterday afternoon. I haven't received any other messages from her since. I'm not sure which is more worrying: the slew of messages before, or the complete absence of them now. Not that it matters. She was right. I am trying to cut her off.

A/N: So I literally posted the first chapter, kept writing, and decided to go ahead and post the second chapter. I told the friend who introduced me to the Stephanie Plum series about this fanfic, and how it just seems to be writing itself, and I'm just a monkey with a keyboard. Like I said at the end of the last chapter, I have an end goal in mind, but I don't have an exact plan of where these characters are going to go before they get there. We'll find out together :)


	3. Chapter 3: He Gives In

Chapter 3: He Gives In

I had to cut her off. If I didn't, either she or I would ruin her relationship with Morelli, and she's finally gotten the ring that she's wanted for such a long time, and, yes, I still love her, and I love her enough that I'd rather have her happy with another man, even Morelli, than with me and unsatisfied. While I am coming around to the idea of being married to her, it would still take time, even without the complication of her already being engaged. I can't do that to her. Better to make a clean break.

But it does hurt. I didn't really expect it to, not after all of the other traumas I've endured, but I think it's safe to say that this is the worst non-physical pain I've ever experienced.

My phone rings. It's Morelli.

"You are such a bastard!" he yells.

"Excuse me?"

"What did you say to her?!" he demands.

"Nothing. I haven't spoken to her in three days," I explain.

"Well, something has her all riled up, and I can't think of anything or anyone else that could have caused it," he spits angrily

"Slow down, tiger. Why don't you just tell me what the problem is," I suggest. And I intend to help him. If Stephanie did something rash, it was probably because of what I did to her. What I'm currently doing to her. I feel responsible.

He scoffs. "Like you don't know. She gave me my ring back."

I go silent.

"Hello? You there, He Man? Wanna explain yourself?"

"Say that again," I request in barely above a whisper.

"You heard me, dick. She. Gave. Me. My. Ring. Back. She broke off our engagement. And I think it's because of you. I knew I was right not to trust you. I never should have let Stephanie stay friends with you. We both know how she feels about you."

He continues ranting, but I'm not listening anymore. All I hear is "She gave it back. She broke it off" over and over again on a loop in my skull.

"Where is she?" I blurt out without thinking. "Wait, nevermind. I'll find out myself." Click.

I immediately call Tank.

"Where is Stephanie?"

"At Kranski's. It's that bar on-"

I don't even wait for the street address. I can pull up her tracker on my smartphone, but I wanted a baseline to go on so I can start driving while the apps starts up. I don't want to waste any time, not a single moment.

I tear out of the garage in my Porsche 911 Turbo, the car that I know makes Stephanie drool the most out of my whole fleet. I don't pick it just for that, though. I pick it because it's fast. I zoom across Trenton to the bar, double park as close to the door as I can get, and practically sprint inside. I spot her immediately. She's at the bar, talking to the bartender, the one her grandmother used to date. Bernie, I think his name is.

"Men suck," I hear her say, her words slurred around her glass of wine and also, I'm sure, around whatever small amount of alcohol has caused her to get this drunk already.

"I hear ya," Bernie replies. "I'm not into dudes, but serious relationships are tough. I thought your granny was 'the one'. Finding 'the one' at my age ain't easy."

"Well, it ain't szo easy at my age ayther," she retorts, her pronunciation deteriorating at a rapid rate as she downs the remainder of the glass in her hand. Even if I didn't plan on doing what I was about to do, I would need to step in and stop this as soon as possible before she gets alcohol poisoning.

"Babe," I said softly behind her ear.

She jumped. She must not have seen or heard me storm in. She must be REALLY drunk.

"How many has she had?" I ask the bartender.

"That was number two," he responds. We both shake our heads in disbelief.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and turn her away from the bar. "Steph, we need to go now. I have som-"

"I th*hic*ink not," she interrupts. "I will go home *hic* all by myyyyyssssseelf. I dawnt need you nor any other person with a great penis and lack of ssszzocial skills. I'm thrrroooough with men!"

With that and a definitive head nod, she turns and walks out the door. I hurriedly throw some cash on the counter to cover her tab and run after her.

"Stephanie, you're drunk. Really drunk. Just let me drive you home," I plead.

"Nnnnnooope!" She exerts happily as she tries to insert her key into the lock on the door of her car. Nevermind that she has a key fob she could use, but she also can't seem to get the key anywhere within a foot of the lock, so I reach out and gently take her keys from her, put my arm back around her, and guide her toward my car.

"Nnnnnnoooooooooooo…..," she protests, but her voice gets softer and softer the closer to the Porsche we get until it's nothing more than a tired moan.

"Sssshh," I sooth. "I'm taking you home. It's going to be alright."

She mumbles something similar to "mm-kay" and promptly falls asleep as soon as her body touches the seat. I have to reach around her to buckle her in, and even through the heavy scent of alcohol, I can still smell her strawberry shampoo. It smells wonderful. I'm going to need to ask Ella to buy some for her to keep in my apartment.

I drive back to my building in silence aside from Stephanie's slight snoring. I could get used to listening to that sound at night.

When we get there, I park in the underground garage and carry her in my arms to the elevator and up to my apartment. I gently place her on the bed and pull the sheets up over her. I just stand there, gazing at how beautiful she is and how, soon, everything would start falling into place. I have Rangeman, the apartment, the rings… of course, if she wanted to live outside of the building, that could be arranged, and the rings would probably need to be sized to our fingers…

I continue on that train of thought for most of the night, unable to bring myself to go to bed, partly for fear of waking her and partly because there's suddenly so much work to be done.

As the sky starts to lighten and the sun takes its first peak over the horizon, I decide it won't hurt for me to lay in bed next to her for a little while, and maybe get a small bit of rest. I strip down to just my boxers, then decide better of it and take those off as well. Slipping between the sheets, I wrap my arms around Stephanie and pulled her into me. I hear her give a small, contented sigh that perfectly expressed how I feel right now, and I kiss the top of her head. She rolls over and throws her arms and legs around me, tired as she is, and settles back into a deep sleep. It doesn't take long for me to close my eyes and join her.

A/N: Oh my gosh, you guys, I'm so happy that everyone likes my story! I've never posted on FacFiction before, so I had no idea I'd get so much feedback so quickly. I'm pretty sure I replied to everyone's reviews, but I'm going to address a few of them here because yall had really great comments and questions. Yes, this is a Babe fic, 100%! Yes, Stephanie is a complete and total jerk and we all hate her a little. I'm glad I'm not the only one! I also heard that some of you haven't finished the most recent books because we're all fed up with how Janet handles these three characters, so I'll give you a short, nonspoiler update on what you should know as far as this fic is concerned. Morelli and Steph are "engaged to be engaged", which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, so that's why I decided to start off this story with them finally taking that step. Didn't last long, though, did it? Stephanie also came to the realization (with the help of Ranger) that Morelli has probably been stringing her along for years with almost no intention of marrying her, which I believe I did reference in the second chapter. The bit about Ranger's grandparents' rings I made up. I can't even remember if all of his grandparents are still alive or not, I just remember him mentioning his abuela Rose at some point in the series (maybe? Correct me if I'm wrong, please).

I'll also tell you all a little about myself. You can go ahead and skip this is you're not interested; it won't hurt my feelings. My name is Penny, and I'm currently a sophomore nursing student (almost done with all my core and starting the program in the fall, yay!). I'm married to an amazing firefighter/police officer who I very much miss right now because he's out of town for training. That's actually part of the reason this fic even got started because I couldn't sleep, so I finished book 23, then I couldn't sleep because of how mad I was at Janet, so I started writing. So, thank my husband's crazy job for this story! I also run a Youtube gaming channel if you guys want to go check it out (it's Penny the Dragon, and my icon is a pinkish/bluish eye with a purple, slitted iris). I'm starting to branch out into vlogging, so you'll get to know me a little better if you do.

I'm sure I said this when I responded to everyone, but thank you so much for reading and leaving a review! It really means a lot to me. I'm going to try to publish at least a chapter every two days or so until it's finished, but I have no idea how long it's going to be just yet.


	4. Chapter 4: He Listens

Chapter 4: He Listens to Her

When I wake up, I can't feel Stephanie's warmth near me. I open my eyes and I don't see her, either. I get out of bed and pull on my boxers from the previous night on and set out into the kitchen looking for her. Not there. I backtrack through the bedroom into the bathroom, and sure enough, there she is, sitting on the floor, leaning against the toilet bowl. She looks about as green as the fatigues I used to wear in Special Forces.

"Good morning, sunshine," I greet her with a smirk.

She groans. "What happened? What am I even doing here? You haven't spoken to me in days, now all of the sudden I wake up in your bed with a hangover."

"Hey, the hangover had nothing to do with me. You accomplished that on your own," I tease, my smirk widening into a full grin.

She lifts her head out of the toilet to look me in the eyes, hers looking surprisingly attentive considering her current condition. "Morelli called you, didn't he?"

I laugh. "Sure did."

"Was he mad?"

I laugh again, this time more genuinely. "You could say that. You mind explaining what happened to me?"

She sighed and tried to push herself onto her feet. "I need coffee first. And a tylenol."

I reach down to help her up. "Coming right up, Your Highness."

She glares at me, but accepts my help and follows me into the kitchen, where I take down a bottle of tylenol from a cabinet, drop it on the counter in front of her, and set water heating in the coffee maker. Once the coffee is ready and a few pills are relieved from the bottle, I lean on the counter beside the barstool she's sitting in and content myself with looking at her beautiful face while she fills her cup with more milk and sugar than coffee and proceeds to drink the horrifying concoction. I patiently wait for her to start talking. It's not as if there's a reason to rush. I have all of the time in the world now.

After a few minutes, she starts. "I guess you noticed I don't have his ring anymore."

I nod.

She's not looking at me, seeming to be trying to find her words in the depths of her now refilled mug. I still don't say anything or make a move toward her.

"I couldn't take it, Ranger. Not talking to you. I know it's not like we talk every single day, but it hurt to have you purposely ignoring and avoiding me," she explains half-heartedly.

I cocked my head, leaning more into her field of view. "Did you think I felt fine? That the situation was easier for me than it was for you?"

She shrinks into herself a little at that. I can tell I struck one of her guilty Catholic nerves.

"No. I just… I didn't think the engagement would bother you all that much. It's not exactly as if this wasn't something we all expected to happen soon."

I decide not to contradict her on that. No reason to strike one of her angry Italian nerves, too.

"You never cared whether or not I was with Morelli," she explains further. "You told me yourself once that taking another man's woman wasn't against your moral code, remember? Not that I wanted to be taken. I love Morelli. I thought we could have a life together."

That makes me raise an eyebrow. "Thought? As in, past tense?"

She takes in a deep breathe and turns in her seat to face me directly. I can tell she's still nervous, but now I can see the determination that was part of the reason I fell in love with her. Her eyes don't falter from mine. "Yes."

"Go on," I prod, both of us still looking deeply into each other's' eyes.

"When you weren't answering your phone or anything, it made me realize something. Morelli doesn't make me happy. I finally had what I've wanted all these years, but I wasn't happy. Not even a little. These past three days have been the longest and hardest of my life."

I have to agree with her. "And what, exactly, does make you happy?" I ask. Another question I already know the answer to.

She doesn't even hesitate for a moment. "You."

I'm about to open my mouth the tell her, to confess everything I've been feeling for the last three days and the lasts few years, if I'm honest with myself, but she continues before I even have time to take in a breath.

"I know what you're about to say. You can't give me what I want. I know that. Don't get me wrong, I still want to get married and have a family, but if doing that means I lose you, I can't. I just can't, Ranger. I'd rather stay like this forever. You don't need to say anything. Nothing has to change. I'm not asking anything of you. Please just forget any of this happened and let's go back to how we used to be. That's all I want."

Now my mouth does open. It falls open out of shock. Did she really just say that? All these years, I've known that having a family is all she's ever wanted, her only true goal behind making rent each month. But here she is, telling me she'd throw all that away… just to stay right where we've always been? All I've ever offered her is a physical relationship, nothing more. She'd rather have that over her lifelong dream? I'm… speechless. I've never known her to be so selfless.

The panic starts to form behind her eyes. She must be interpreting my silence as a rejection. I can't let that stand, not even for a moment. I take her hand, bring it to my lips, and press a soft kiss against it. I watch her eyes go slightly wide and she stifles a moan. I smile at how little it takes to make her moan. I want to make her make those sounds, and many more, for the rest of my life.

"Stephanie."

That's all I need to say. She can see my true feelings in my eyes, feel them in the way I trail kisses up her arm and along her neck. I feel her give an involuntary shiver and pull me into her. As I continue kissing her neck, I start to taste salt and feel something cold and wet on my cheeks. I pull back to look at her face, and I see she's crying. My heart drops.

"Are you alright?" I ask, her panic from moments before becoming my own.

She sniffs. "I'm just s-so relieved. I was w-worried you had changed your mind about me."

"Babe," I say as I wrap my arms around waist and pull her out of her seat into a warm embrace. "I'll never change my mind about you. I love you."

Instead of having the calming effect I was hoping for, my words throw her into an even more violent set of sobs. I rest my hand on the back of her head and let her bury her face in my chest, let her tears fall on my shirt. When the sobs finally subside into deep breathing and soft sniffles, I let go of her and take her hand.

"Come here. I want to show you something," I say, pulling her behind me into the bedroom, where I keep my desk. The desk that is currently holding the ring that used to be my abuela's and is about to become Stephanie's.

A/N: Holy crap, guys. I think I blacked out writing this. I know I literally JUST uploaded the last chapter, but I got myself on a roll, and there's no reason for me to hold out on you if the chapter's already finished. I was playing around with all the tabs under the Publish tab, and I found where I can see how many people have viewed my story. HOLY CRAP. I thought it was awesome just having the seven or so people who left reviews reading my fic. There are HUNDREDS of you guys. I'm in almost as much shock as Ranger was just in. I just want to say, thank you all for reading, and I hope you're enjoying it so far! I'm starting to get more of an idea for how quickly the plot is moving, so I don't think this is going to be a terribly long story. Don't worry, though, there's still plenty of chapters left in this one, and, like I said before, I do already have an idea for my next fic.


	5. Chapter 5: He Promises

Chapter 5: He Promises

I pull out my chair for her and have her sit in it. I kneel in front of her, not like a man about to propose, just to put our eyes on the same level.

"You're sure you're willing to give all this up for me?" I ask gently.

She nods, but doesn't say anything. She's waiting for me to show her what I brought her in here for.

"I know I've always said marriage isn't for me, but these last few days have made me reevaluate my decisions, too," I explain.

She watches me silently, but I see her sit up a little straighter.

"I'm not saying I'm ready to get married today or tomorrow, but I do know that I want you to be mine in every sense of the word."

Her eyes flick to my hands as I reach down to unlock and open the desk drawer. I hear her suck in an amazed breath when I bring the little blue box into view. Now I settle down on one knee and pull open the lid, holding the box out to her. Her hands go to her mouth as she rotates between staring wide-eyed at me and at the ring.

"Stephanie Plum," I start as tears start to roll over her cheeks and fingers. "Will you marry me?"

Apparently unable to speak, she nods frantically and throws her arms around my neck, openly sobbing again. Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for, but I'll take it.

I laugh a little and encircle her in my arms, as well. "Babe, you can say no if you're that upset about it," I tease, knowing that her tears are tears of joy, but not being able to help myself.

She pulls away from me and does her best to wipe off her face, with only moderate success. "Put it on me," she requests, offering me her left hand.

I feel my lips pull up into a grin as I take her offered hand and slowly slip the ring on her fourth finger.

We sit there for a few minutes, taking in what had just happened. I'm not sure who made the first move, but suddenly I realize we're kissing. I pick her up and she wraps her legs around my waist, helping me support her weight (which she didn't really need to do, but I enjoy the way her legs feel around me too much to stop her).

Usually I take the reigns during moments like this, but this time I let her stake out her own territory, allow myself to receive along with give. I hear marriage requires a lot of "give-and-take", so I figure we might as well start now. I enjoy it more than I thought I would, but eventually she tires herself out, so I take over.

As we move against one another, I tell her all the things I should have told her from the start. How much I love her, how she's changed my life for the better, how I wouldn't be the man I am today if it wasn't for her. When we're both done and she's completely drained of energy, I switch to telling her about our future. I tell her we can live anywhere she wants, no matter how far away, if that's the case. She's met my family before, but not as my future wife, so I tell her I'll make plans to go see them with her, and then I tell her about them and what it was like growing up in a Cuban-American household, and how one day our home will be filled with tiny versions of us, children with my complexion and her wild locks and fierce temper. I promise to teach her Spanish so she won't miss a thing at family gatherings. I also assure her that I'm going to formally introduce myself to her parents and grandmother as her fiancé, and I'm going to try to prove to them that I do love her and can take care of her. I know I scare them, and I don't want them to cause her any undue stress because of that.

I don't know how much of it she heard before falling asleep, but it feels good to say, nonetheless. If she wants me to repeat some of it or all of it in the morning, I will. For now, I stretch my body out beside hers and press my face into her hair that's fanned out on the pillow beneath her. Her hair smells like strawberries and sweat, a surprising appealing combination. My eyes eventually get heavy, so I let them fall closed and drift into the most restful sleep I've gotten all week.

A/N: I know this chapter is a little bit shorter than the others, but so much happened that I felt justified in making it that way. This has been the first chapter that gave me some trouble. I originally started to give Ranger this long, drawn out proposal, similar to his confessions and promises at the end of the chapter, but I felt like that was too far out of character for him, and Stephanie would have become a mess with crying while listening to it (even more than she was in this scenario), so I got rid of it and made it sweet and simple. I like it much better this way.

Hold on to your socks, everyone. The next few chapters are going to be a little bumpy.


	6. Chapter 6: He Gets Caught

Chapter 6: He Gets Caught

I'm awake well before dawn, as usual, but I let myself stay in bed holding Stephanie for a while longer. Eventually, however, I do have to get showered, dressed, and downstairs for work. Companies don't just run themselves.

She's still asleep when I finish getting ready, so I quietly slip out the door and take the elevator down to the control room. I can have Ella bring me breakfast in my office and send some up for Stephanie when she wakes up.

Tank is waiting not far from the elevator. He looks almost nervous.

"Morning," I say as I start to move around him.

He steps to the side to block my path. "We need to talk," he says, his voice betraying none of the apprehension I see in his eyes.

I cock an eyebrow at him, but nod and lead the way to my office. When the door is firmly shut behind us, I motion for him to take a seat. He doesn't.

"Ranger, I know I don't usually ask questions about your personal life, but you know how much the men here care for you… and Stephanie," he begins.

Ah. I understand now, but I let him continue anyway.

"You might not know because I told everyone to keep it to themselves, but most of the men were pretty shaken when you gave us orders not to let Stephanie in the building. Now all of the sudden, not three days later, you call mission control to get a fix on her, then carry her up to your room unconscious. You have to admit, it's all very strange, and I'm sorry if I'm out of line, but we all think we're owed an explanation."

That makes me smile, just a little. Of course it seems strange. It was strange. Stephanie's had nearly unlimited access to me and this building ever since she discovered it existed. I also understand Tank's nervous tension. Most of us here have a military background, and you don't ask questions in the military, especially not of your commanding officer, and never anything so personal.

But this isn't the military. Tank's right. I do owe them an explanation. Best to just get it out there.

"I asked Stephanie to marry me last night." I continue to give him a brief summary of everything that had happened: Morelli's proposal, her acceptance, and, eventually, her change of mind.

Slowly, throughout my explanation, he start to grin. By the end, I think the only bigger grin in the world had been mine last night, when Stephanie said yes. "My God, Ranger! You finally manned up and did it!"

I allowed myself a small smile in return, but this was still a work day, and we were both on company hours right now. "Sure. Do me a favor and don't tell the others yet. I'm sure Stephanie's going to want to tell them herself."

He nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll think of something to keep them off your backs until then."

Catching the unspoken memo, he promptly left my office and returned to his post in the control room, leaving me to handle today's paperwork, phone calls, and meetings.

Stephanie came into my office about an hour or two later. I glanced at the clock: 10:45.

"Sleep well?" I ask her with a smirk.

"Your sheets are too soft. It's a crime to leave them as early as you do."

I laugh as I stand up and take her in my arms, bringing our lips together. I've never been more grateful for my decision to install opaque glass in my office door than I am now. The men would be falling out of their chairs if they caught a glimpse of this.

Our initially soft greeting kiss slowly gets more and more intense. Eventually, Steph is gasping for air, sitting on the edge of my desk with her legs wrapped around me and her fingers pulling on my tshirt.

"I would say let's take this upstairs, but we'd have to pass the Merry Men to do that," she states.

"Not a problem," I mumble against her jawline. I reach behind her and sweep nearly everything off my desk. Her face turns a deep red and she glances at the door. The glass is hazy, but she can still see shapes and movement on the other side. I smile devilishly and reach behind me to press a button on a medium sized panel of them on the wall. The glass immediately turns completely white, and she gasps. I grin again as I lean over her, picking up where we left off.

After I've left her thoroughly satisfied, I sit down and pull her into my lap. I'm barely out of breath, but Stephanie's glowing with perspiration and struggles to take in enough air. She gave up on trying to get in shape with me a long time ago. Something tells me that she just found a new form of exercise that she enjoys and can participate in regularly.

Once she's recovered and we both look presentable again, she glances back at the door for the first time since I changed the opacity. I can tell she's thinking about what to say to the men who, hopefully, didn't hear our workout just now.

"I already told Tank. He's noticed I've been a little… off recently, and wanted to make sure we were both ok."

She smiled. "That's so sweet of him. Good thing he won't have to worry about us anymore." Her smile turned down into a frown. "I'm sorry agina about how I handled the situation. I see now how much I must have hurt you. I honestly didn't know you cared so mu-"

I press my finger to her lips, and she falls silent. "That doesn't matter anymore. Just pretend it never even happened. I don't want anything from our past getting in the way of our future."

She sighs. "I have a feeling that's going to be easier said than done. Morelli left me at least a dozen voicemails last night. Then there's my parents, your family, the girls at the office…"

"Babe, I think the girls at the office are going to be the last people we need to worry about. The worst they can do is give us a headache with their excited squeals." I make it sound like I'm less worried about that than I actually am, because I know she'll enjoy that interaction. I won't.

She doesn't look convinced.

I kiss the top of her head. "Tell you what," I offer. "Let's call and tell your parents today and set up dinner with them. I'll call my family tonight, too, and see how soon they can get everyone under the same roof. You can tell the girls whenever you feel ready, and same for the guys here. Or I can tell the men, if you'd rather me do it."

She thinks about it for a moment. "You tell them, but I want to be there when you do. I also want to tell both of our families first. I'll have to tell the girls soon, though. They're more observant than the Merry Men, and I don't want to have to take this ring off to go pick up my new FTAs."

I grin at her. "Sounds like a plan."

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to publish. My husband got home on Friday, and we left Saturday morning to go see his sister and her family across the country. She lives in New England, and for anyone not up-to-date on New England weather right now, we're about to experience a rather sudden and out-of-the-blue blizzard, so I may or may not have power starting on Tuesday. We're still deciding if we're going to stay and ride out the storm or leave tomorrow afternoon to flee south where there won't be quite as much snow and there'd be no reason why he wouldn't be able to get back home and to work on time. That'll only give us a day to spend with his sister and her wife and 10-month-old, freaking adorable daughter, so I'm not to excited about that plan, but I'm also not overjoyed for my first encounter with snow to be a blizzard that's going to dump two feet of it down on top of us in less than 24 hours (we're from the South, where entire states shut down if there's even a whisper of a snowflake). If you're of the praying variety, please send some our way. Either way, please don't get mad if another few days go by before I'm able to publish the next chapter. Sorry in advance, and thanks for reading and leaving all these wonderful reviews!


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